My Word For 2017

Confession. I’m terrible with resolutions. I can’t think of one I’d actually kept. And while I welcome the notion that January 1st is the perfect time to begin afresh, I don’t believe the clock striking midnight empowered me with life-tackling skills anymore than I believe the confetti dropped in Times Square was fairy dust. Dates on a calendar won’t give me strength to conquer things I couldn’t overcome the past 365 days. Only God does that. But yes, the start of the year has prompted to reflect and pray.

And while I don’t believe in resolutions, I do embrace the one-word focus. If you’re an avid blog reader/jumper, you’ll find many such posts about their one word for 2017. Several actually came to me. Hope. Kept. Faith. But one stirred my soul.

Brave.

Okay, growing up, I was a coward. No joke. There were times I was scared of my own grandma. Moments when I felt I was born without a backbone. I cringe at all the missed opportunities I had to share my faith but didn’t because I was too afraid. I spent a good portion of life just taking whatever came to me with no fight or resistance. It wasn’t until after my miscarriage that I actually started evaluating my life and my scarcity of courage. It was one of the first hardships I’ve (and my husband) ever encountered. I was hurt, scared, and felt so very small. But then I heard a song. God often ministers to me that way. It was Brave by Nichole Nordeman. Wanna hear it click here .

The words to that song was the cry of my heart. And when fear tried to wrap its claws around me, I would play the song. And since then I’ve faced trials that my only way out was to trust His strength to uphold me.

Folks, I’ve seen the limitations of my courage. I’ve known the boundaries of my meager strength. Again and again. But, I was never called to be strong in my own strength. But in His. (Be strong in the LORD and in the power of HIS might) His. Not mine.

The Psalmist continually referred to God as his confidence. Able to face the surrounding enemies because the Lord was His security, sure foundation. I believe I’m able to not only survive this year, but to thrive, because God empowers me to. I want to see myself as He sees me. He sees me throwing mountains when I can barely lift a pebble. Not as the timid weak girl but as the child of God filled with His Spirit.

And I noticed that my word encompasses the others that floated in my heart. Through God’s strength, I can be brave to hope for the impossible. Be brave to trust that in His hands I’m kept. Brave to keep faith even when I don’t see the result of my prayer. He makes me brave.